Ventilator-associated pneumonia after elective cardiac surgery caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii

Abstract

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a severe complication among patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Although hospital-acquired bacterial pathogens, often multidrug resistant, are the most frequent cause, non-bacterial atypical and opportunistic agents traditionally associated with immunocompromise are increasingly recognized. We describe ventilator-associated pneumonia due to Pneumocystis jirovecii in the absence of traditional risk factors for Pneumocystis pneumonia in a patient after cardiac surgery.